Augusta businesses continue their recovery nearly two months after Helene

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The past five months have been tough for downtown Augusta, the Broad Street shooting to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

The Ironman Triathlon was canceled because the streets were heavily damaged.

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This year, Augusta brought in $845 million in visitor spending.

There could have been more, but the devastation of Hurricane Helene forced the cancellation of events such as Ironman.

Hurricane Helene changed life as we knew it, and many are still trying to recover.

“That event, historically, has generated an economic impact of between $5 and $6 million,” said Michelle Pippin, CEO of Augusta Sports Council.

But the cancellation of the Ironman didn’t just affect athletes.

“Especially because it runs right down Broad Street. That is probably our biggest day of the year, even bigger than Arts in the Hearts,” said Alaina Cane, barista at New Moon Cafe.

Cane says they expected a lot of foot traffic during Ironman weekend.

“They want healthy food options. They want breakfast eggs, smoothies, things like that. So we see a big, big turnout for them every year,” Cane said.

And she says they’ve been preparing for the event, just like they do every year.

“As a small, local business, that’s potentially devastating, even if you put all the money and effort into securing the resources you need to run the service that day, just the loss we’ve incurred from not bringing in that extra profit. she said.

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Not only did they miss the marathon, Cane says they had to close for almost two weeks.

She says they are still not normal.

“We’re still on what I call a skeleton crew, just trying to recover from the storm,” Cane said.

But despite the losses, there is still optimism.

Pepijn said: ‘If there is still a lot of damage to the roads. If necessary, we will adjust the course so that we can make up that distance.”

Cane said, “I just hope we can keep the extra bit of foot traffic we have now. Maybe tell people, “Hey, you’re coming home, you know, bring your friends, bring your family.”

Pepijn says Ironman’s cancellation wasn’t a total loss.

The organization donated $20,000 to the Augusta Sports Council, which was used for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.